This invention relates to the field of toothbrushes, and provides an automatic toothbrush which can brush an entire arch of a user's teeth simultaneously.
The best known means of maintaining dental health is to brush the teeth regularly and thoroughly. Regular brushing reduces the incidence of tooth decay. Also, brushing and flossing reduce the accumulation of plaque, which is known to cause periodontal disease. Although the danger associated with accumulation of plaque has become widely publicized in recent years, most persons, especially children, the handicapped, and the elderly, still tend not to brush properly or sufficiently. Brushing the teeth with a conventional toothbrush is tedious, and many users do not brush for sufficiently long periods or in a correct direction. Moreover, users of conventional toothbrushes have no reliable way of knowing whether their brushing has been effective in removing plaque and other substances from the teeth.
One solution to the above problems is to use a powered toothbrush. An example of a powered toothbrush is given in U.S. Pat. No. 2,628,377. The latter patent discloses a device having a plurality of rotating brushes which clean an entire row of the user's teeth simultaneously.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,163,874 shows another toothbrush which is capable of cleaning all the user's teeth simultaneously. However, the toothbrush of the latter patent is not mechanized. Instead, the brush elements are stationary, and the user cleans his or her teeth by repeatedly biting down on the brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,449 discloses still another toothbrush having a plurality of oscillating and rotating brush elements.
The present invention provides an automatic toothbrush which is an improvement over the devices of the prior art. The present invention permits the user to brush substantially all of an entire arch of teeth simultaneously, with a powered brushing mechanism. The toothbrush of the present invention may also include a display screen which captures the attention of the user, and which inherently encourages the user to brush correctly and for longer periods of time than is customary with conventional toothbrushes.